Cooling Coil Cleaning Tube

by LoganP2 in Workshop > 3D Printing

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Cooling Coil Cleaning Tube

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The main purpose of this build was to fashion a device that would make cleaning the cooling coil of a Spike Conical CF10 cooling coil easier. I always wanted to soak the entire coil in PBW / Alkaline Brewery wash, to make it easier to scrub the organic deposits off of the coil. However its a huge waste to fill an entire bucket of water and chemical to treat a relatively small diameter, however the height is the main issue so my idea was to use a PVC pipe. I also wanted the additional benefit of being able to clamp the coil to the tube and make tight seal for easier transportation and because its just cool... :D

Supplies

24in pipe.PNG
Pipe cap.PNG
cement.PNG
adapter.PNG

The main supplies needed other than the Coil etc.. that you are cleaning are, a 4" Diameter PVC pipe, 4" PVC Cap, Glue to bond the two, and 3d Printer to make the adapter piece! For the CF10 a 24" length worked best for me, for the smaller fermenters or larger you may need to cut or get a longer PVC pipe to accommodate the increased or decreased length of the Coil, measure and check before hand...

  • 24" Pipe x 4" diameter: https://www.homedepot.com/p/VPC-4-in-x-24-in-Plastic-ABS-Pipe-1204/202300521
  • 4" Pipe Cap: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Charlotte-Pipe-4-in-ABS-DWV-Cap-ABS001161200HD/313834600
  • Cement for Pipe: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Oatey-8-oz-Medium-Black-ABS-Cement-308893/100345366
  • Whatever 3D Printer and Filament you have to print adapter!

*Note on ABS Pipe, ABS pipe is considered safe for human drinking water and consumption, however there are some limitations, do not exceed 140 deg F, and I would not use very strong Caustics or Acid's for fear of degrading the plastics... Your standard homebrew chemicals and reasonable temperatures will keep you in the safe area. Additionally Alkaline Brewery wash works well at room temperature, so keep this in mind...

Cement the Cap on Bottom of Pipe

Spread a thin amount of cement about a 1/2-1/4" up from the edge of the pipe to ensure no glue leaks inside the pipe. Push the cap on and allow the cement to set, check the bottle of cement for instructions.

3D Print the Plastic Adapter, Cement It Ontop

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3d print the referenced adapter piece, I used .4mm resolution on my Any cubic Vyper 3d printer. This model was made after a few iterations and the gasket and clamp are not a perfect fit, however it was close enough for me. You are welcome to hone in on the sanitary clamp design. I spread a thin amount of cement about 1/2-1/4" up from the edge of the pipe, same as the cap, to prevent the seepage of cement inside the tube. Allow to set, reference the instructions.

Downloads

Using the Pipe

Now that you have the cement cured, I recommend to rinse thoroughly, and run some PBW and Star-san solution through before your first use! The pipe holds about 1.3 gallon of water in my experience, however I use 1 gallon of water and when the coil is submersed the displacement ends up being 1 gallon almost exactly. This is helpful for dosage of Star-san and PBW.